Everybody Hurts Until They Find Someone
by Colder Zero
Summary: This is an AU fic that takes a look at a different outcome of Mirai no Trunks' return home after the Cell games. Read and Review.
1. Chapter One: Home Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of it characters. I visit there from time to time, but that's about it. The plot for this fic, however, IS my idea; it can actually be written without the DBZ characters with some (make that a LOT of) tinkering, but what's the fun it that? I'm also not sure how many chapters there will be. I guess we'll find out together, heh? And I know it may not be the most original idea out there, but it got stuck in my head, and I had to put it down on paper...so to speak.  
  
Author's Note: Okay, this is an AU fic, not a continuous one. Well, somewhat AU. It's another possibility as to what the Mirai no Trunks would have done when he returned home. So, here we go before I ruin things with MORE explanations. ^_^ Read and review, please.  
  
EVERYBODY HURTS.....AT LEAST UNTIL THEY FIND SOMEONE.  
  
CHAPTER ONE:  
  
The Sun was shining, and the day was beautiful. The light glinted off of the Capsule Corporation building, and the sky was a rich blue.  
  
It was turning into a tough thing for him to do; to turn back on his family and leave them for a dying world.  
  
Well, he wasn't really turning his back, since it wasn't really his family. It just seemed that way to the lavender-haired young man as he climbed into the Time Machine. He looked back, and saw everyone gathered there to wish him well. He saw that even Vegeta, his father, had bothered to show his face for all of five minutes, before wandering off, muttering about "stupid brats" and such. The young man shook his head with a small smile as he began pressing buttons and hitting switches, programming in his destination and landing coordinates.  
  
He was grateful to see everyone there as the vehicle began to lift up into the sky. He gave them all one last wave, and, with a tear rolling down his face, faded away – back to his own world, his own time.  
  
It was still bright, and shining, when he faded back into view, only now the C.C building was nearly a gutted wreck, still capable of supporting Trunks and his mother, but still....  
  
He sighed as he climbed out, dropped to the ground, and put the Time Machine back in its capsule. He was about to go inside to see if his mother was there, but then he heard a loud noise from not-so far off. It was in the ruins of West City.  
  
His blue eyes narrowed, and he new that a reunion would have to wait for now.  
  
He had BUSINESS to take care of.  
  
"Dammit, 17, do you always have to blow EVERYTHING up?" Android 18 asked her brother as they walked through the ruins, rolling her eyes as he blew up yet another decrepit building with a finger beam. Her annoyance was beginning to show, as she found nothing of interest in this large, yet empty, ghost town.  
  
"Well, I find it amusing," he answered with a small 'hmph' as they made their way towards the trashed Capsule Corp. building.  
  
18 looked over at it and sighed. "Do you honestly think he's been hiding there?" she looked back over at 17, who decided to blow up yet another building. "...You know that's getting to be old."  
  
"So what? I like it, and I personally could care less about your opinion," the young 'man' replied as he watched the debris fly through the air and smash through some other buildings. "Heh. Doesn't get much better than this, huh?" 18 was about to make yet another pointed remark about his sense of 'fun' when a familiar voice interrupted her.  
  
"I hate to say it, but I agree with her; that IS getting old," Trunks said as he levitated above the ruined street before setting down. "And do are the two of you. It's about time I paid you two back for everyone you've killed." He watched them coldly, waiting to see which one would move first.  
  
"You again? Well, I have to admit, things DID get kind of boring without you around to beat up," 17 smirked at him. 18 tried to so the same, but for some reason she couldn't; so she settled for a blank glare in his direction.  
  
Trunks smirked back at him. "Well, things are different now; this time, YOU'LL be the one getting the life knocked out of you." He laughed softly, but it was still audible to 17, whose face creased with anger as he flew towards the demi-saiyajin, one fist raised up and out for what should've been a decapitating punch.  
  
Instead, 17's fist hit the solid resistance of Trunks' face. As the android's eyes widened with shock, the other grabbed him around the wrist and slammed his knee into his stomach. 17's eyes went glassy as he began to zoom up into the air—  
  
-Only to have Trunks' elbow slam into the small of his back. With a loud cry of pain, Android 17 smashed through the many floors of one of the abandoned buildings, each one falling in on him as he went through it and the next one, destroying their support columns. By the time he hit the basement, the entire building had caved in on the cyborg.  
  
18 stared in shock at Trunks....who hadn't even bothered to go into his super saiyajin form; his hair was still lavender and covered his eyes from hers. 'Okay, THIS is definitely new,' she thought, as 17 began to dig his way out of the wreckage.  
  
"Dammit; now I'm pissed!!" he growled as he flew up at Trunks, who swatted him away like a bug. The android pressed his attack, but Trunks either dodged them, or blocked them with a well-placed arm or leg. As 17 threw a punch at the young man's jaw, he dodged and brought his fist up hard, transforming into a super saiyajin as he did so.  
  
17 looked at Trunks in shock, as a small trickle of blood ran from his mouth. 18's hand went to her mouth, as she suddenly felt sick. For the first time in her life, she felt SICK.  
  
Trunks just frowned at 17 as he pulled his fist out of the Android's back and stomach, and let him fall to the asphalt below. The impact created a large crater, and the dying android looked up to see the demi-saiyajin's emerald/turquoise eyes locked on him, and his golden hair moving slightly with the wind.  
  
Trunks made a series of rapid hand gestures, before stopping with thumb and forefingers of his open hands touching one another. There was a sudden surge of energy, and a ki ball formed.  
  
"SAY GOODBYE, YOU MENACE!!" Trunks screamed as he fired at 17, and scored a direct hit, causing one large explosion...  
  
....Which resulted in a secondary explosion as 17's cybernetics, including the bomb terminal in his chest, gave way to the massive energy Trunks had blasted him with.  
  
'One down, one to go,' he thought to himself, looking down at the large hole he had made. 'Not to mention that freak Cell,' he added, looking in the general direction of South City, where Doctor Gero had hidden his lab, and ultimately lost his life.  
  
Android 18 stared in shock and horror as her twin was destroyed by the boy they used to be able to beat down without any effort. Her pale blue eyes were beginning to become moist, and with a shock, she reached up and felt the tears there. She despised 17 for his behavior, but he was still her brother.  
  
At least he WAS her brother; NOW he's nothing more than ash and rust, she thought to herself.  
  
She looked up at Trunks, who was beginning to get lost in his thoughts, and made a decision.  
  
One that would not only change her fate, but the fate of Trunks, and yes, even the world itself.  
  
She ran.  
  
She ran for her life, taking to the skies and hoping that she'd be able to outrace the saiyajin prince before he decided to come after her.  
  
It took him about three minutes to realize that 18 had made a run for it, and he cursed himself for losing himself in his thoughts of the past, of his father, of the friends he had made....and the battles that they had fought together; both the victories and the loses. The things that had made him feel truly alive, truly important.  
  
Brolli, Cell, and more androids than he thought was possible....the memories surged through him as he flew after Android 18, hell-bent on finishing what he had started.  
  
'Don't worry, Master Gohan....I won't let your death be in vain; I can beat them now. I can make the Earth what it once was......and maybe then I can mourn you the way you were meant to be mourned,' he thought as he pushed aside his remembrances, and chased after the girl, a small smile on his face as he began to draw nearer and nearer.  
  
Soon he could see the edge of her blue mini-skirt flapping in the howling wind, and her blonde locks pulled back over her shoulders by the speeds they were traveling at. For some odd reason, Trunks felt a light blush tint his cheeks as he began to trace the curves and contours of her body as he drew closer to her.  
  
'What am I thinking?!' he thought, shaking his head seconds before he rammed into her, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and sending the both of them smashing into the ground below, digging a mighty furrow as they slid to a stop.  
  
They stood then, both of them dirty and with torn clothes.  
  
They glared at each other.  
  
'This is it....' They both thought as one, as they rushed to the attack simultaneously.  
  
TBC...........................  
  
Author Note: So, what did you think? I know it was kinda short, but I have to save *something* for the second chapter, right? Trunks versus 18, with quite a few surprises at the end. Hope I surprise you all with the outcome; if not, hey, as long as you like it, I'm happy. ^_^ 


	2. Chapter Two: Revelations

Disclaimer: I do no own any of the characters. I do not make any money from this; I do this without making ANY kind of compensation (though I love good reviews ^_^ ). Anyway, on with le fic!  
  
EVERYBODY HURTS.....UNTIL THEY FIND SOMEONE  
  
CHAPTER TWO:  
  
The day had started like any other for the blonds girl; she and her brother went out and had some 'fun' and ended up running into an acquaintance.  
  
Now while this may sound like some stupid teen movie, it is in fact a fairly vague description of Android 18's day.  
  
Leaving out the part where the acquaintance skewered her brother with his bare hands.  
  
Now she and her brother's killer, Trunks Briefs, were locked in physical combat....but something didn't seem right. The young man had beaten 17 in mere minutes, without even trying, or lifting a muscle for the most part.  
  
So why was it taking so long for him to do anything to HER? she silently thought to herself as she blocked another of his kicks.  
  
The young man in question was asking himself the exact same thing; they had been fighting for well over an hour now, and they were none the worse for the wear. His blue jacket had been torn to shreds, and 18's tights were tattered, along with most of her clothing. Her lip had been bleeding, and a gash was running along Trunks' scalp. There was a small bruise forming on his jaw, and she was beginning to look tired for the first time he'd known her.  
  
Still they kept at it, their punches, kicks, and ki blasts completely destroying the grasslands they had crashed into. 18 hit him in the stomach, and he punched her in the jaw, but they continued fighting.  
  
Trunks was beginning to feel tired, and he slammed his fist into her stomach, sending her careening backwards before he flew at top-speed behind her and hit her with everything he had.  
  
Surprisingly, she was still alive.  
  
AND in one piece.  
  
Trunks looked down at his hands, fully aware that he hadn't put his full power into that blow; he meant to, but a part of him refused that want, and instead he hit her with a lot more self-restraint than he gave himself credit for.  
  
He watched her stand up, wiping the blood away from her mouth, and something inside him leapt. He felt a crimson hue come to his face even as he flew in to resume the attack, only to get smacked in the face by a mean left hook. As he flew back into a small hill and completely passed through it, he wondered what it was exactly that he was going through.  
  
18 couldn't believe it herself; not only was she still alive, but she was actually holding back against him. The thought that he killed 17 mercilessly repeated in her mind, but every time she went to land the killing blow, she stopped and instead made some weak-ass punch or kick that was blocked and countered. Not even her energy attacks were going at full power anymore. She was confused as Hell; this had NEVER happened to her before, even when she fought Trunks for the first time.  
  
He had been a bit younger then, not as.....masculine as he was now. But there was something in his attitude, and the way he kept fighting them, that made him stick in her head. So while 17 had been busy blowing stuff up, she had been sitting around, thinking of the strange young man who continually defied them and was beaten down again and again. When she thought a bit too much about him, 17 would always poke her with something – like a stick – and make some stupid wisecrack about her daydreaming.  
  
As if an android could dream.  
  
But every time he woke her up from her musings, there would be a faint blush on her cheeks, and he'd point and smirk at her, and say something about her needing a little 'something-something.' She cracked him one upside the head then, and stomped on him until he laughingly apologized for being a complete and utter hentai (pervert).  
  
And now, he was gone, and she was SUPPOSED to be facing a certain death.....and that blush had come back. As she flew forward and her fist meant Trunks' jaw again, she could feel herself holding back again, as his head didn't snap back quickly enough, and he kicked her in the chin as he flipped back in the air.  
  
They resumed blasting at one another, hoping desperately that they'd stop holding back, that it was nerves (or short-circuits in 18's case) keeping them from doing what had to be done. However, when each blast hit, they could tell that they hadn't put enough force into it, and instead of disintegrating each other, they were just knocked back a mile or so.  
  
Desperate now, the two flew back at each other, and began wailing on the other, their fists blurs as they lashed out at one another. 18 kneed Trunks in the nose, and smashed her elbow into his neck, but he countered with a jab to her stomach, and then with a Boot to her face. Both could tell that they weren't even trying anymore, that this battle could (and would) go on forever, because neither of them had the heart to kill the other.  
  
Panting, Trunks flew in and grabbed 18's wrists. She wriggled free, and they locked hands, trying to force the other into submission. They continued this for what seemed like an eternity, kicking and kneeing one another, only to find that their hands would let go, that their grip wouldn't be broken. They were bleeding from numerous cuts, scrapes, and gashes, but still they fought on, trying to force themselves to kill the other....  
  
...and finding that they couldn't, that at the last minute, something interfered and they instead resumed their futile attacks.  
  
Soon they were face-to-face, their noses almost touching. They had their eyes narrowed in an anger that wasn't there, their hands locked together in what should have been submission grips but were instead almost tenderly intertwined fingers, the feeling of skin-to-skin contact making a warm blush creep up their faces until they were both red.  
  
At the same time, they moved closer in an attempt to dislodge each other...  
  
....and found their lips pressed together.  
  
Their eyes went wide as the realized what had happened, but instead of pushing away, they moved closer into the embrace, their hands separating and finding themselves wrapped around the others' waist or neck. They were both a dark red color at first, but the blush faded, and their eyes closed as they let the moment overwhelm them. They slowly fell to the ground, their bodies close together, as hungry lips kissed and tasted what they could of the others' body.  
  
As they fell softly on the ground, Trunks pulled 18's body against his and ran his hands through her soft, golden hair, his own returning to its original lavender hue. She looked up at him, the anger gone, the hate gone, even the thought of 17 dead gone. All that mattered was now.  
  
All that mattered was this moment.  
  
They pulled at each other's clothes, not caring where they were, just grateful that they were still some trees and high grasses around where they were, to give them shelter and warmth. The anger inside them had been turned to passion, the hate into love, and the thoughts of the dead were cast aside.  
  
All that mattered.....was them.................  
  
Slowly Trunks woke up.  
  
He could feel the wind blowing through his hair, and over his bare chest. He could also feel a warm, equally naked body against his own. He smiled, and rested his head against the soft hair, tracing circles on the other's smooth, soft skin.  
  
18 also awoke, her eyes closed, and she 'mmmh'-ed as she felt the strong hand moving its way gently across her back. She smiled as she felt the other's chest rise and fall, feeling his warmth, his love.  
  
Then they remembered.  
  
EVERYTHING.  
  
With a shock, they looked at each other with wide eyes, not believing their memories or their eyes. They pinched each other, hoping it was some kind of dream, or delusion.  
  
No such luck.  
  
They went a bright red as they remembered what they had done; not just that, but also HOW they had done it, and the MANY times they had.  
  
Fifteen hours they'd been at it. And only six of those were spent fighting, while the rest were......  
  
Trunks just stared at 18, and she just stared at him.  
  
They were still in each other's arms, still unclothed.  
  
The feelings were still there; they always had been.  
  
From the moment 18 first beat young Trunks up, he was stuck in her mind, and she in his. At first, what they thought was hate, or stupidity, turned out to be love.  
  
The thought ran through their heads.  
  
'I love him.'  
  
'I love her.'  
  
They couldn't believe it, but it was true. The evidence was there, as were the strewn remains of their clothing and the flattened depression in the tall grass made by their needing bodies.  
  
They lay there, she on top of him, for what seemed like another eternity, the shock and disbelief slowly fading away, and the feelings they had shared the night before returning like a rushing wave of water upon a dry beach.  
  
They stared into each other's eyes, and felt a twinge of embarrassment to be seen like this, as though the absence of clothing made some kind of difference as to who they were. And perhaps it did, perhaps it didn't.  
  
It was Trunks who finally spoke, when he felt his voice return to him; 18's throat was sore, and she numbly remembered screaming her lungs out for those nine hours they shared together.  
  
"So....uh...what now?" he asked lamely, as she blinked up at him.  
  
"I......don't have....a clue," she semi-croaked at him, rubbing her throat and smiling as she rested her head against his chest once more. "How about....we just stay here and enjoy the moment?"  
  
Trunks slowly nodded, a smile coming to his face as well.  
  
And there they lay, watching only each other, barely noticing the destruction that they had cause fifteen hours before.  
  
TBC..................  
  
End Note: So, what did you think? And sorry if it got a bit cheesy, or overdone; it just came out that way. And yes, there IS more to tell. A great deal more. Only time will tell what's in store for these two, and what would Bulma say when she finds out? Well, I guess we'll find out next time, hai? ^_^ 


	3. Chapter Three: The Things That We Do

Disclaimer: Once more, I repeat: I do not own this characters or places, just a few of the situations and many of the bad jokes. I'm not making any money from this, because if I were, I'd be knee-deep in lawsuits. So, I'm doing this for free.  
  
Author Note: And if anyone asks, yes, I use the movies as a part of the continuity. You'll just have to wait and see HOW much I use, though. ^_^  
  
EVERBODY HURTS......UNTIL THEY FIND SOMEONE  
  
CHAPTER THREE:  
  
After what seemed like hours (which it was; SEVERAL hours to be exact), Trunks sighed in defeat. 18 looked up at him, trailing one finger along his chest.  
  
"What is it?" she asked him, somehow maintaining that casual tone of voice she always spoke with, despite the fact that they were both still very much naked and lying in the grass.  
  
"I'm gonna...have to tell...my mother," he said slowly, as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with the fingers of one hand. The blonde resting on his chest gave him a pouty look.  
  
"Do you have to?" she asked, taking a loose strand of his hair in her fingers and twirling it around, taking in his face with her angular eyes. Her own hair was mussed up to a point, and she was looking less battered than before. Trunks, however, was starting to feel stiff from the beating he had taken, and made that rather clear with a small groan as the cyborg shifted her weight on top of him. "What's wrong, you big baby?" she teased him, a small smirk on her face.  
  
"Well, unlike you, I tend to hurt a lot after a pounding like the one you gave me today," he smiled at her, as he looked over to where his watch had ended up. His eyes widened slightly as he realized that they had not only been out here for more than thirty hours, but most of that time they had spent naked and in each other's arms. "And of course I have to; it's gonna be kind of hard to hide you from her, you know?" he laughed lightly at that, picturing the reaction on Bulma's face when he introduces her to his lover.  
  
Android 18 gave him a slightly wounded look as she propped herself up on her elbows, which dug slightly into the young man's muscled chest. "And why would you hide me? I've been told I have a perfect figure, and I'm not that bad a conversationalist."  
  
He laughed then. "I never said anything like that was wrong with you....but you WERE terrorizing the Earth for sixteen years. That IS kind of hard to ignore," he chided softly, as though his pain and loss meant nothing to him now. The android sighed and leaned forward, so that her face was over his and her hair was brushing against his skin.  
  
"I understand.....but it's not like it's ENTIRELY my fault," she said, and Trunks had to agree with her there; during his time in the past, he had seen Gero's lab, knew some of the truth behind his 'perfect androids.' The thought of that......'man' wasn't the right word to describe the scientist - more like 'depraved lunatic' – EVER having been allowed to begin his work on living beings made him sick to his stomach, and almost made him wish that HE had killed the man himself, instead of 17. 'But at least he's gone here...' Trunks thought, brushing his fingertips along 18's jaw line.  
  
She looked at him and blinked, not used to seeing the contemplative look he was wearing now. "What's on your mind, big guy?" she asked, quirking her head to the left and regarding his blue eyes with her paler, ice-blue ones.  
  
"It's just...I was thinking about...something that happened back in the past," he said slowly again, not wanting to startle her or anything. She rolled her eyes at him, and gave him a 'oh, THAT again' look. "Hey, I'm being serious here." He was a bit offended by her casual attitude towards something this important, but he let it slide, since she knew nothing of Cell, or even Androids 13-16. Not to mention that Kami-damned Super Android 13.....just thinking of that big blue thing made him want to break out in hives and go hide in bed.  
  
"Yea, I know...which is why I'm not interested; I wanna have fun," she sighed, raising her arms up and putting them around his neck. She kissed his collarbone and smiled seductively. Trunks put a lot of effort into saying 'no', but he managed.  
  
"I'd love nothing more than to stay here like this....but there's a very nasty bug that I have to squash in Dr. Gero's lab," he said softly, wincing internally as he watch her freeze up at the mention of that place.  
  
She looked up at him, and nodded. "I....see. And what exactly makes this 'bug' so nasty and dangerous that you want to leave me all alone and vulnerable here?" There was still a hint of sarcasm in her voice though, and the lavender-haired saiyajin frowned.  
  
"Well, if I let it live....it'll come after you to absorb you through its tail. And I don't think either one of us wants that, huh?" he explained to her, watching the look of disgust on her face with some small amusement.  
  
"Okay, that sounds plain gross," she shivered at the strange image that evoked. "Okay, you're forgiven. BUT I'm coming too." Trunks gave her his own patented 'are you serious' look.  
  
"Why?" was about all he could manage on that particular issue. She laughed as she rolled off of him.  
  
"Because," was all she responded. He rolled his eyes as he looked up at the quickly- darkening sky.  
  
"I asked for that one, didn't I?" he said, a slightly amused smile on his face. 18 pulled on what was left of her tights and mini-skirt, and looked over at him.  
  
"Yeah, you did, you runt," she grinned, remembering the first time he tried attacking her when he was still a child. 'He looked so cute then....and his looks have only improved with time,' she thought to herself as she pulled on her shirt and vest, and managed to get her boots back on. 'Man, this outfit sucks; that geezer sure had lousy fashion sense.'  
  
"Well, if you INSIST on coming, then give me back my pants," he looked at her out of the corner of his eye and whistled some random song he'd heard when he had been back in the other timeline. He waited patiently until said pants were flung at him and smacked into his face. "Okay, that was a bit much," he commented somewhat sourly as he removed his pants from his face and pulled them on, and then rooting around for his own boots in the grass. Once that was taken care of, he found what was left of his shirt, and his (surprisingly still-intact) sword, and finished getting dressed a bit quickly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, keep complaining; Kami, you're worse than..." she stopped then, the smile on her face fading as she remembered that her twin was....very much dead. In the excitement and passion of the night (and day) before, she had for some reason forgot about 17. Trunks sighed and shook his head, already knowing what the problem was the moment she trailed off.  
  
"Listen, you don't have to go with me....I understand that this has all happened really fast, and I guess...." He ended there, also not sure of what to say anymore. 18 looked over at him and sighed in frustration.  
  
"Get a move on already; I don't want to be some bug's lunch, you know," she poked him in the back, trying to get him to snap out of it.  
  
After about twenty or so minutes later, the pair had found themselves outside of Gero's lab....which was also surprisingly still-intact. 'But then, it had been destroyed only in that other time and not this one,' Trunks reflected to himself. It was getting hard for him to tell what had happened here, and what had happened there. 'Hopefully Dr. Gero's body isn't there; it was bad enough the first time when it was new.' He shuddered at that mental image.  
  
"Okay, now let's see..." he said aloud, removing a flashlight from a small case concealed in the pockets of his pants and looking around. He passed one free hand over a large coffin-like device and grimaced when he saw the number '17' imprinted on it. He looked around some more, and soon found a small crack in the floor. He tapped his foot on it experimentally, and it gave way a small bit, sending small pieces of stone tumbling down a long, almost cavernous drop. "Huh," he mused loudly. 18, now getting a bit bored, moved over to where Trunks was standing and looked at the slightly- wider crack.  
  
"And this is important because...?" she asked him, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her right ear. Trunks snapped out of the revelry and went a light shade of red.  
  
"Uh, I don't think it is; the lab where Cell should be is over here," he quickly moved over to where a large casing for one of those 'coffins' were and tossed it aside. He looked intently at the floor, comparing it to the layout of the lab that he had destroyed in the past, and charged up an energy wave. He fired it, blasting through the rocks and metal, tearing his way into the secluded lab.  
  
Finally, he released the last of the wave and panted, a small grin on his face as he peered inside the large hole he had made in the lab's floor and wall. Floating through, he offered 18 his hand. She rolled her eyes at him again and flew past, and he merely shrugged, following her down into the depths of the secret lab.  
  
There was a large supercomputer ticking away at one end of the room, and at the other was an almost equally large tank containing....  
  
18 blinked curiously, seeing the small shape floating there. Even though it was only bigger than her hand, she could practically FEEL the power emanating from the thing. And the way the crest on its head was sloped and the vague contours of its not-yet developed body, it wasn't too hard to guess that this thing would end up one very UGLY bug. She shuddered at the thought of what it would look like. Then, she decided she didn't want to know, or give this thing the chance.  
  
So, very calmly, very efficiently, she blasted the infant Cell, completely exterminating every last one of his cells and thus removing his threat. The tank exploded outwards, and she jumped back to avoid getting coated in whatever gunk had been sustaining that monster. Trunks let out a slight yelp of surprise, but he just shook his head, and blasted the supercomputer, making sure that no trace of it or its data was left to rebuild Cell in any shape, form, or fashion.  
  
"Well, that was fun," Android 18 remarked as she turned to Trunks and gave him a look, that hint of sarcasm still present. "NOW can we go?" she asked, the mere thought of her being in this place any longer sending shivers down her spine.  
  
"Yeah, that's all that was left to do here," he said quietly, as the two floated up and exited through the hole.  
  
As they exited the lab, 18 looked over at the saiyajin and smiled softly, one of her new expressions.  
  
"So, I guess I get to meet your mom know, huh?" she asked conversationally, a prospect that made Trunks both cringe and smile.  
  
Unbeknownst to them, however, that little crack Trunks discovered was hiding yet another hidden lab of Gero's, where another supercomputer endlessly toiled away at its programmed mission: to create the ultimate android killing machine. The work had been completed long ago, but the command to activate the beings in the three 'coffins' had never been sent due to a program error that had been cause by an unfortunate lapse of maintenance on the part of Dr. Gero.  
  
Only now, thanks to the actions of Trunks and 18, a power surge ran through the supercomputer in the other hidden lab, causing it to shut off to prevent an overload and any subsequent explosions. However, the instant the power returns to the computer, the lids of the three 'coffins' slowly begin to rise, and the three 'people' inside stepped out.  
  
One was human in appearance, the second much too tall, and the third much too short. There wasn't enough light in the lab to make out many details, except that two of them had glowing ice-blue eyes, and the short one had on a pair of sunglasses that still managed to shimmer with a blue light.  
  
As one, they all said one word:  
  
"Goku."  
  
TBC.................  
  
End Notes: Okay, so maybe this one had its cheesy moments. But I like how it turned out. We get to see Bulma's reaction to her son's new girl, and the survivors of 18 and 17's reign of terror get to meet a new breed of Android, one much worse than the last. 


	4. Chapter Four: Reflections

Disclaimer: Well, you all know the drill, so why bother repeating except to say I own none of these characters, and only one or two of the plot ideas. The credit for DBZ goes to Akira Toriyama.  
  
Author's Notes: okay, from this point, I'm going to switch between calling her 18 and Juuhachi. The only reason I did not implement this before was my lack of expertise in the Japanese numerical system and so on. Anyway, here we go...and you FINALLY get to find out what I meant by the term 'Movie Continuity.' And there is some silliness here too; I couldn't help myself. ^_^ And I would also like to apologize to anyone I left waiting for the chapter; It was a hard one to do up, in my opinion.  
  
Names: *17 = Juunana *18 = Juuhachi *13 = Juusan *14 = Juuyon *15 = Juugo  
  
EVERYBODY HURTS..........UNTIL THEY FIND SOMEONE  
  
CHAPTER FOUR:  
  
In what should have been one of those anticlimactic moments, Trunks and Juuhachi entered the living area of what was left of his home....  
  
....Only to find it empty.  
  
Trunks blinked, then sighed in relief. He really didn't want to her one of his mother's lectures, as he had ever since he took it upon himself to face the androids alone. 'Man, I wonder what she says about THIS?' he thought, a slight smile on his face as he entered what amounted to their kitchen. Juuhachi watched with some interest as he began poking around a refrigerator.  
  
"Now what are you doing?" she asked, idly straightening a few loose strands of hair as she cocked an eyebrow at him. He looked back up at her, a sandwich in hand. He had the same look on his face as a child who has done something rather naughty, and doesn't want to be punished.  
  
"....I'm hungry," was what the flushing young man replied, showing her the sandwich again. She looked at him as if he were slightly bent. In response to the look he was being given, he added, a bit quietly, "Well, what do you expect after the night we had? I can't run on fumes, and I don't happen to have an infinite energy source." She blinked, then saw the little smirk on his face.  
  
"Whatever," she dropped the issue of his eating habits rather quickly and found a chair to sit in as she watched him devour the sandwich whole, and begin to move on to the rest of the fridge. With a frustrated sigh, she stood up and stretched. "Is there a bathroom or something around here?" she asked him, stifling a slight yawn. Trunks looked up and nodded.  
  
"Uh, yea; up the stairs, first door on the left. And don't worry," he added, poking his head around the corner as she headed up said stairwell, "it's got everything you could need in it."  
  
Juuhachi sighed as she closed (and locked) the door behind her. She stripped off her clothing and let it fall to the floor. She climbed into the tub and turned on the water. After turning on the water, she lay back in the tub and thought.  
  
Many things ran through her head; her brother, Juunana, Trunks, and all the times that she and her brother hurt other people. It never really used to bother her before, but for some reason, it was getting to her now. 'Probably just something knocked loose,' she shrugged off the feeling of unease, and sighed a little contentedly as the hot water continued to flow into the basin.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Downstairs, while Android 18 was bathing, Trunks had paused in his eating to find something to do to pass the time. He figured he might be waiting for a while, and headed back into the living room, sitting down on the old couch, and turned on the radio that was there. He rested his head back on one of the arms and closed his eyes, still feeling weary after everything that had happened to him.  
  
The radio's volume was down low, so when Trunks drifted off to sleep, he didn't hear the special news report as it came on, with cries along the lines of 'Android attack'........  
  
Juuhachi opened her ice-blue eyes, and looked up at the roof of the bathroom. She noted a few small cracks in the surface, and the fading colors that were painted on it. She noted with some small guilt that this was probably her fault too; hers and Juunana's. I mean, how can one keep up house maintenance when you've got killer androids on the loose? A stupid thing to have guilt over, but then, she used to think emotions were stupid, and now she's been with the one person who stood a remote chance of beating them.  
  
'I guess life's funny like that,' she thought, crossing her arms behind her head and soaking some more in the bathtub. She had added some of the bath soaps that were there and sighed again, a small smile creeping onto her face. As she lay there, an idea slowly came to her, and the smile grew that much bigger....  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks had been asleep for what was going on fifteen minutes now, and he was rather comfortable just lying there.  
  
Until something a bit heavier was draped across his body, and something was rubbing against his inner thighs....  
  
Opening his eyes, he saw, with some small shock, a towel-clad Juuhachi smirking at him as she lay on top of him, one leg rubbing against his. There was still a sheen of moisture on her skin, and her hair was wet. Apparently she just toweled herself off quickly and jumped on him.  
  
"Miss me, Underpants?" she teased him, pointing out one obvious fault with his names. She stayed right where she was, feeling dominant over him for the first time without having to resort to violence.  
  
It was more fun this way. And the one thing that was a given about Juuhachi was that she liked her fun.  
  
"Not really," he smirked back, as she made a face of mock-disappointment. He playfully tugged at a strand of her hair, and received a death glare in response. His smirk grew wider, and the cyborg had to resist the urge to punch him in the face. It probably wouldn't even faze him, but as long as he stopped that blasted smirking......  
  
She settled for a pout, and a muttered curse. Trunks laughed, and stopped pulling on the hair. "What's it going to take to get you to behave?" he asked, feigning exasperation at her antics. The android femme fatale had a thoughtful look on her face, before adopting her trademark smirk and fixing him with her pale blue eyes.  
  
"Well, you COULD help me out of this towel...." She suggested, eyes lighting up at the prospect, and at the look on Trunks' face. One thought entered her mind when she saw the flush: 'Hormone backlog.'  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Floating high over the remains of South City, a human-sized figure floated. It was taking stock of the damages, and letting out the odd curse of five.  
  
"Blast it ta Hell!" a voice rang out, male...and sounding like someone from Texas. Or, more like the stereotype of someone from Texas.  
  
The man had shoulder length silver/gray hair, and a small widow's peak. He was well-muscled, well-defined, and rather attractive in a rugged, somewhat- overly masculine way. He was wearing a pair of baggy green pants that looked like part of a military uniform, suspenders to hold them up, brown gloves, grayish boots, and an open greenish-brown vest. In his ears were a pair of gold earrings, and on his head was a baseball cap, also greenish- brown, except for the part over the bill. That was yellow, and had a red hourglass-on-it's-side emblem with the words "red Ribbon" below it.  
  
He was Artificial Human Juusan, easier called Android 13.  
  
And he was pissed.  
  
His brows were furrowed together as his pale blue sensor eyes swept the rubble.  
  
"This here was obviously th' site of those damned twin's lil' sprees!" he continued his ranting, his accent thick and almost laughable....if one didn't mind getting torn apart for doing so. "Stupid teenaged punks......can't rely on 'em fer nuthin."  
  
With a small curse uttered at the world in general, and in specific at teenagers everywhere, the completely artificial android passed over the decimated city and began his search anew elsewhere.  
  
"When ya want ta get the job done, ya send a man, not some lil' pansy pretty boy!" he muttered under a very human-like breath.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks found himself in one of *those* situations. It was here that he wished he had a father alive....but then, considering how that other Vegeta acted, he wouldn't be much help. In fact, he'd probably be laughing his head off. And pointing.  
  
It wasn't that he was nervous; there was just this underlying feeling of something bad about to happen.  
  
That was when his mother walked in.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Juuhachi had never heard someone scream that loud before....which was a first, considering how many years she spent killing people in what she saw as 'harmless fun.' Hence, that was one LOUD scream.  
  
She clapped her hands over her ears, trying to block it out.  
  
Trunks gave her an apologetic look, and, after she had gotten off of him, dragged his mother into the kitchen.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What the HELL are you thinking?!" Bulma shrieked at him, jabbing one finger into her adult son's chest. "You bring that...that...that THING in here, and then you decide to go screw her on our couch?!"  
  
"Mother, she is NOT a THING; she is a LIVING PERSON...well, more or less," he tried to calm her down. Then the last thing she said registered....and his face went a very interesting shade of red. "MOM!! Kami, what are you trying to do?! EMBARRASS me to death?!" His explosion was somewhat understandable; he wasn't used to his mother talking...like that. 'Chalk that up to a deprived childhood due to killer androids,' he thought, aware of the irony contained within the statement.  
  
Bulma was, however, going beyond reason. "I would think that's the LEAST of your worries!!"  
  
"You know, you two look kind of stupid right now," a cold voice cut in. They both turned and saw Juuhachi, now dressed her somewhat tattered clothing, leaning against the wall. There was an expression of what looked like hurt on her face. "You could have at least TRIED to keep it down.....what's the point of going into another room if you shriek loud enough that anyone with a ten mile radius can hear you?"  
  
Trunks sighed, and looked down at his boots, feeling like something of an ass. Bulma was still furious, and reached for the nearest hard, metal object.....a frying pan.  
  
"Damnit...GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU JUNKHEAP!!" she screamed at the cyborg, startling her. The blonde looked from Trunks to his mother, and back again, and turned on her heel, fleeing from the pan-wielding woman. It took Trunks all of five minutes to shoot a glare at his mother before storming out after 18.  
  
Bulma just stood there, angry as Hell but also confused beyond reason.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
The blonde beauty was floating over the spot where her brother had died when Trunks found her. She was holding herself, and judging by the way she was shaking, she was in tears. He put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but she silently elbowed him in the stomach and blasted him in the face.  
  
He slammed into the ground not physically harmed, but still stunned by her outburst. He floated back up again, and tried to repeat his earlier attempt at consoling her, but she lashed out again. This time, he caught her elbow, and spun her around so she was facing him.  
  
Just as he thought, she had been crying; her normally-flawless eyes were becoming bloodshot and puffy, so she must've been crying hard since it took him at least twenty minutes to find her.  
  
"Damnit, leave me alone!" she kicked at him, the blows hardly phasing him. He grabbed her by the arms when she moved to punch him again, and held her close to him. "You heard her....I'm a THING! I'll ALWAYS be a thing!!" she sobbed; apparently she'd been thinking about this before the recent events for her to have been affected this much by some harsh words. ".....Ever since I saw you that first time, you've been stuck in my head, and I came to realize that even though we androids we stronger....we weren't really people anymore.....just things. So every time I saw you, I had to hurt you the way I did....in order to punish you for making me feel like some monster out of a bad movie," she whispered, resting her head against his chest. "And Juunana didn't help much; all those years.....I loved him, because he was my brother....but the things he did made me feel worse about who, about WHAT, I really was....and then this happens. You make me feel like I can be a person....but then you hurt me again."  
  
Trunks put his arms around her and sighed. "I don't want to hurt you.....it took me a while to realize it, but you mean everything to me. EVERYTHING. Why else were we...together the way we were before?" he asked, faltering, so new at this.  
  
She shrugged. "Maybe you pitied me....or thought that doing what we did would make you feel better about yourself, for losing all those times before...." She offered, struggling to get free. When she looked up into his eyes, though, she saw that she had crossed the line; there was a hurt there, greater than anything she'd caused before. Even the pain caused by death of Gohan wasn't as bad as what he must be feeling now. "Oh, Kami, I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that," she rushed, closing her eyes and waiting for what she thought was going to be her end.  
  
Instead, the demi-saiyajin just held her tight to his body, and was silent. It was after a long, awkward silence that he spoke. "I guess I can understand where all this is coming from......but still, you have to realize that I've forgiven you – for EVERYTHING you've done. And not even my mother and her frying pan are going to change my mind," he laughed as he tilted her head up to face him. He leaned in closer, and their lips met.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
As the two worked out their difficulties, they were completely unaware that they were being watched by a small figure.  
  
It had purple skin, and wore a large round hat with a puffball on top. Around its neck was a red bowtie with two white R's printed onto it, and it was wearing a pair of blue pants, a white shirt, and a yellow overcoat that was tied shut. It also wore a large pair of sunglasses.  
  
The lenses flashed as data scrolled across them, and the strange little being frowned, reaching into one pocket of its coat and pulling out a silver hipflask. As it continued to watch the couple, it unscrewed the top and began drinking some of the contents. Then it put the flask away.  
  
"This is Juugo, an' I got some baaaad news, Juusan; it looks like Juunana's been dead for at least two days, an' Juuhachi's makin' it wit' some human," it spoke in an accented voice as it pressed down on the gold earring in its left ear. There was a hiss, then the sound of violent cursing.  
  
[Somethin' tells me this is gonna be one'a those days,] the other android's voice cut in through the hiss, obviously pissed. [I think Gero musta been off his damn rocker, pickin' those two.....UUURRGGGHH!!!]  
  
"Yo, man, chill; we'll get this straightened out," Juugo spoke soothingly into the communications device. "Hell, worse comes to worse, we kill them both. Ain't nothin' wrong wit' that now, is there?"  
  
There was a low chuckle. [Yer right, shorty. I'll be there as soon as I can; find Juuyon and take care'a those two on the double!]  
  
"Got it, boss man," the android released the earring, left to his own devices. Then he pressed the other one. "Yo, Juuyon, you there man?"  
  
[Yeah, I'm here,] came a masculine, yet toneless voice.  
  
"We found some trouble; get yo' ass here on the double so we can take care'a it," Juugo spoke softly as he floated high above Juuhachi and Trunks.  
  
[Got it. See you when I get there.]  
  
Then there was silence.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So....now what?" Juuhachi asked Trunks. The two of them were now sitting on top of one of the few remaining skyscrapers, watching as the sky began to turn a pinkish color.  
  
"I don't have a clue," came his response as he smiled over at her, crossing his arms over his chest and adopting a thoughtful expression. She looked over at him and rolled her eyes.  
  
"You are such an idiot," she said simply.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm your idiot," he countered, a small smirk on his face.  
  
"...You got me there," she nodded, a small smile on her face.  
  
"Yech! Please, stop subjectin' me ta this mushy crap!" a new voice cut in. The cyborg and saiyajin pushed off from the building and floated up, turning around to see who it was. Trunks' eyes went wide when he recognized the owner of said voice.  
  
"Hell...It's Juusan," he muttered under his breath, aligning himself so he was between Juuhachi and the other android.  
  
"Damnit girl, ya just had to go an' ruin Gero's plans, didn' ya?" the human- looking artificial construct shook his head as he looked up at Trunks and Juuhachi.  
  
"Trunks, what's going on? Who IS that guy?" she asked him, looking over the young man's shoulder to get a better look. Her pale ice-hued eyes were narrowed in confusion, and she was getting a suspicious feeling as she sized up Android 13.  
  
"Trouble."  
  
TBC......................  
  
A/N: I don't know if that technically counts as a cliffhanger, but I thought it was a good point to end the chapter with. Anyway, starting next chapter, our happy couple has to fend off 13 and friends. I'm not saying anything else, because I might give away something that may be good. 


End file.
